


Bewitched

by winterfirehair



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angry Billy Hargrove, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Eleven | Jane Hopper & Maxine "Max" Mayfield Friendship, F/F, F/M, Gay Billy Hargrove, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Slow Burn, Slow Dancing, Witch Hunts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 12:49:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17142059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterfirehair/pseuds/winterfirehair
Summary: Accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death, Billy Hargrove and his step-sister Maxine are surprisingly saved by none other than the crown prince himself, Steve Harrington. But something about him, about his stupid and arrogant face, makes Billy angry - just so damn angry.





	1. Prologue - Some Words

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Good Morning Hawkins (quodpersortem)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quodpersortem/gifts).



First of all, happy Harringrove Holiday Exchange!

I want to say a few words about this project and I want to apologize that it is not finished - yet.

From the start, this story seemed to be cursed. While I first had to struggle with the typical stuff every writer knows - I had to decide for an idea, make some time for writing, fight writer's block, the usual - the other problems came later.

When I finally decided to write this very story you are about to read, everything went just so well - and I should've fucking knocked on wood three times because two weeks ago everything went downhill faster than Steve fell for Billy on the show.

Everything I had written until then - which were about ten chapters / 25k words - was lost.

Those who ever lost something they've written know how hard it is to find those words again, and it's even worse when you have a time limit. With several concerts and a business trip during december, my own birthday and christmas coming up, there was no time to write again what I had written before. But I tried!

I'll finish this story, no matter what. It may take some time, but despite that I hope you'll like this, Nate. ♥


	2. Witch Hunt

William 'Billy' Hargrove isn't sure what about the situation he's currently in is the worst to him.

Maybe it's the tight noose around his neck. The rope is rough and it's irritating his skin, and the knot is so tight he has trouble breathing.

Maybe it's the fact he's not alone up here. Next to him, so much smaller than him, stands the little redhead that is his adopted sister. There's a noose around her neck too, and it's just as tight as his.

She radiates hate and fear, her icy blue eyes burning with a passion as she struggles to get rid of the gag between her lips. Her nose is still bleeding from when one of the guards hit her in the face just some minutes ago. Even with their fate sealed, she still fought like a lioness, not ready to go down like this. Hanging for a crime she did not commit.

The market place in front of them is full of people. Most of them are looking up at them with disgust, but Billy sees a few faces that are filled with uncertainty or even pity. Most of those faces are those of people who know the siblings, who know they are good people. Who know that neither Billy nor Maxine are what authorities think they are.

"Good people of Hawkins!"

Billy stiffens and out of the corner of his eyes, he sees that Max starts to shake, biting down hard on the gag to keep herself from crying. They both know crying won't help her and she clearly wants to die proud and strong, not as a sobbing, begging mess. It makes Billy both proud and angry at the same time. She's always been stronger than him, even though she shouldn't. She's only a dumb little girl for heaven's sake!

"Before you stand two children of Hawkins that have brought shame upon our beautiful little town. Being of the most wicked kind, they let the devil himself come upon them, for them to gain the darkest powers and bring them upon our town!"

For a moment Billy closes his eyes. He won't cry, no matter how unfair all of this is. They didn't even get a trial. His sisters red hair, bright as a flame, is enough proof for them. As for him, we'll - he's her brother, even if it's not by shared blood. Of course they think that if she's a witch, he's at least her servant, if not also a witch himself. The town's major's words indicate the latter.

"For their doings are a crime against this town and all mankind, William Hargrove and Maxine Mayfield are sentenced to death by hanging. Their execution is to be carried out immediately."

Max screams behind her gag. There are no words, just screams of anger and fear, muffled by the gag in her mouth, but the crowd is silenced immediately, fear written on their faces. They are afraid, afraid of the little witch cursing them. Billy sees more than a dozen people crossing themselves and speaking prayers.

Desperation overcomes the teen and he can't hold back the words hastily spilling out of his mouth.

"We do not have a pact with the devil! We never practiced any dark arts and never would do such a thing! Let us have a fair trial so we can prove our innocence," he shouts desperately.

"Silence! You and your abnormal sister are the devil's concubines!" 

When the crowd shouts approvingly, Billy grits his teeth. He wants to damn them, damn and hex them all. For a moment he wishes that their accusations were right. If so, he and his sister would be able to get out of this mess. But they are as innocent as he claims them to be. Neither of them is able to practice witchcraft.

Billy closes his eyes. He's never been religious, but he still sends a silent prayer for Max and himself as he readies himself for the moment when they'll be dropped to their deaths.

It doesn't come. Instead, surprised murmuring rises on the market place, followed by a voice calling out.

"What in the lord's name are you doing?"


	3. Anger

Billy doesn't say a word as he and his sister are taken down from the gallows, much to the surprise of the crowd that is watching with hushed conversation. Maxine is even freed of the gag, and despite the rage in her eyes, she's intelligent enough to keep her mouth shut.

The siblings quietly follow the man, who's clearly a soldier, over to the little group that just joined the public hanging some minutes ago - and stopped it. Most of them are soldiers, or bodyguards as it seems, some walking, some riding horses. The others are clearly nobles, judging by their clothing, and Billy has to keep himself from sneering. A shred of these clothes would be enough to buy Maxine and him food for a few weeks. Good food at that. But no, there are these rich nobles dressing themselves in fine clothes and eat even finer food while people like him and Max are out here, fighting every day to get a warm meal and getting their heads put in a noose for existing.

Amongst the group are two men and a woman, as well as two young boys and a girl. It's uncommon to see a group of nobles as large as this one on open street, and Billy sees Maxine stare at them in wonder and awe, so he quickly grabs her neck and makes her look down. She hisses at him, but keeps her gaze to the ground, feeling like she was caught red-handed.

"You two. What are your names?"

The man who has spoken to the major before speaks up once again, turning the pitch-black stallion he's riding to go around Billy and Maxine in a circle. It's kinda intimidating, but Billy would be the last one to admit that out loud.

"William Hargrove, sir. And that is my sister Maxine Mayfield."

"Sir?"

Stopping his horse, the brunette laughs out loud.

"It seems to me you have no idea who you're talking to. But the horrified look on the face of your sister tells me that she knows who I am."

"You're... You're Steve Harrington. The crown prince."

Her addition of the man's title is more of a hiss towards her brother, but it makes the brunette smile gently.

"That is correct. Do you know who accompanies me, too, little redhead?"

Almost nervously - oh, Billy is never going to let her forget how she, the oh-so-strong Max Mayfield, turned into a stuttering mess just because of a bunch of noble assholes - she licks her lips and nods.

"Yes, your highness. The man behind you is your brother, prince Jonathan. The boy with the curly hair is your youngest brother, prince Dustin."

Nodding approvingly, Steve mentions her to continue. Maxine's cheeks slowly turn red.

"The dark-haired girl is your sister, princess Jane. The boy next to her is prince Michael of the Wheeler family, and the woman is his sister, princess Nancy. Your wife to be."

"You are correct. I'm amazed a peasant girl like you knows the royal family so well. Maybe it's true what they say and you really are a little witch."

The mood in the group shifts noticeably, but then Steve laughs his joke off, and Nancy lightly smacks his arm.

"You can't just joke around like that when those two were just about to hang for being accused of witchcraft!"

Maxine doesn't seem to be bothered however. It's Billy who's gritting his teeth, doing his best to be calm, despite the fact that he would literally pay with gold he doesn't have to just drag Steve off his stallion - his literal high horse if you will - and beat his stupid face to pulp. Usually, he has more self control than that, it takes a good amount of beer and a real challenge for him to give in and beat someone's ass, but noble or not, prince or whatever he is, that Steve guy does something to him that has his blood boiling. He just wants to punch that idiotic grin right off his face and make him swallow each single one of his teeth.

So, naturally, when princess Nancy once again speaks up and even invites him and his sister to be their guests, Billy wants to say no. Of course he's thankful to have been saved from their certain death, but at the same time, it's making him feel vulnerable. He's a man, he shouldn't need to be saved. The fact that not only he was saved, but also his sister, which in turn only underlines the fact that he failed to protect her, is only making it worse.

But even Billy, ill-mannered as he can sometimes be, knows to not turn down such an offer. Especially now that he knows that this isn't just nobelity, but royalty at that. He has to take the offer, no matter if he likes it or not. And it seems like even if he could decline, Max would probably strangle him if he did something for her to miss the opportunity to be guest of a noble family. When Susan, her mother and Billy's stepmother, had still been alive, she had always told Max to most beautiful stories about foreign lands and kingdoms, where poor girls would become queens and marry charming and kind kings. Maxine had never been as typically feminine as the other girls her age, but nevertheless Billy knows she always wished to live in one of these stories. Escaping from her rather miserable life. He can't just ruin her this one little slice of a life she could've had if she hadn't been born to this family, or if her pretty little fairytales were true.

Knowing this, and being the supposedly kind, big brother he has to be, he bows slightly to the oldest princess.

"Thank you very much for your kindness, your royal highness."

It's hard to not be confused when she suddenly starts laughing. For a moment, he thinks he has done something wrong, but then she offers him a warm smile.

"Please, don't call me by such a long title. I may be a princess, but that doesn't mean I want you to crawl in the mud by my feet. You're our guest, please don't feel the need to be overly formal."

And then, Billy is even more bewildered when suddenly, his little sister next to him does a curtsy, like she had never done anything else.

"Thank you so much, Lady Wheeler. Thank you, prince Harrington. It's an honor to us."

He can hear how excited she is, see the red in her cheeks when one of the soldiers helps her onto one of the smaller horses. And for a second, while he gets onto a dark brown stallion, he wants to smile fondly, because no matter how distant they are emotionally, he loves his step sister and seeing her happy like this makes him feel somewhat warm.

But then, he catches the crown prince looking at him, and his face hardens as he grips the reins so hard his knuckles turn white.

Something about Steve Harrington just makes him so damn angry that he'll be glad once their stay with the royal family comes to an end.


End file.
